Fly tier&#39;s bobbin



Nov. 17, 1953 R. P. MORGESTER 27,659,548

FLY TIERS BOBBIN Fild Aug. e, 1952 AT TO QN EYS Patented Nov. 17, 1953UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE 3' Claims.

This invention relates to a fly tiers bobbin.

The tying of articial flies for fishing is an art in which considerableskill is required. The winding of the thread during the formation .ofthe ily must be so carried out as to cause said thread to be tensionedto the exact extent desired, if the ily is to be properly formed. Inthis connection, it is further desirable that; any device whereby thewinding of the thread upon the lure can be effected, should be so formedas to insure not only that the thread will be properly tensioned, butalso that the thread will be wound with desired rapidity.

In View of the above, the main object of the present invention is toprovide a generally improved fly tiers bobbin, which will be novellyformed in a manner to permit exact adjustments to be made so far as thefreedom of rotation of the thread spool is concerned, thus to permit thedevice to hang from the lure while the lure is being Wound, with theweight of the device and the means for adjusting the spool rotationcooperating to effect the desired tension during the winding operation.

Another object of importance is to provide a fly tiers bobbin as statedwherein the adjustments referred to above can be varied minutely, toachieve an exact ratio between the weight of the suspended bobbin andthe freedom of rotation of the spool.

Still another object is to provide a fly tiers bobbin as describedwherein the desired fine adjustments can be effected with speed andease.

Yet another object is to provide a y tiers bobbin wherein the abovestated objects will be achieved, without increasing materially the costof the bobbin over other bobbins already in use.

Still another object is to provide a bobbin of the character referred towherein one spool of thread can be swiftly substituted for another.

Yet another object is to provide a bobbin wherein there will beincorporated a construction requiring a minimum of parts simply arrangedin a manner whereby they Will not readily get out of order.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

Figure l is a perspective view .of a bobbn formed m accordance with thepresent invention, as it appears when in use during the tying of anartificial ily;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal Section through the bobbin;

Figure Bis a transverse sectional view taken on line `3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing a modified form; and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

The form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive willfirst be described. 1n this form of the invention, there are providedthree main parts, said parts comprising a spool housing designated,generally at I0, a thread tube designated generally at I I, and atension-adjusting cam sleeve designated generally at I2.

A vspool of thread has been designated generally at M, and it will beunderstood that said spool does not, per se, constitute vpart of thepresent invention.

The housing I0 will l:first be described, and as best shown 'm Figure 2,said housing is formed from a single piece of fiat, spring metalmaterial formed approximately to a U-shape, having a bight I6 and a pairof fork arms converging in the direction of and secured integrally toopposite ends of the bight. The fork arms are of identical, thoughopposite construction, and include inner end portions I8 convergingtoward the bight, said inner end portions being offset outwardly attheir divergent ends, and being integral with approximately parallelouter end portions 20. The outer end portions 20 of the fork arms areintegrally formed, intermediate their ends, with irl-struck, roundednodes 22 engaging in opposite ends of the axial bore 24 of the spoolbody 26, on which body the thread 28 is wound.

The spool body is rotatably mounted between the outer end lportions 20,and it will be readily appreciated that movement of said outer endportions toward one another will increase the frictional engagement ofthe nodes 22 in the opposite ends of the bore 24. Conversely, movementof the end portions 2li away from one another decreases the degree offrictional engagement of the nodes 22 with the spool ends. The housingI0, it may be noted is so tensioned as to cause the outer end portions20 to normally spring outwardly, away from the opposite ends of thespool body.

Formed in the bight I6, midway between the opposite ends of the hight,is an opening 30, receiving the inner end of a tubular member 32, saidmember forming the thread tube designated generally at Il. The tubularmember 3.2 can be frictionally engaged with the edge of the opening Sil,so as to normally prevent movement of the tube relative to the housingIl! on which it is supported. Or, if desired, the tube can 'be fixedlyconnected by any suitable means to its associated bight I8.

The thread 2S extend fully through the tube, as shown in Figure 2.

Considering the construction of the sleeve I2, said sleeve includes acylindrical body 34 at one end, said body, at the other end of thesleeve having a frusto-conical end wall 3S having a center opening 38 atits smaller end.

A cork insert 40 is formed complementarily to and is seated Within thetapered end wall 36, and has a center bore gripping the Wall of thetubular member 32, so that the tubular member guides the cam sleeve I2when the cam sleeve is shifted longitudinally of the tube II and housinI0.

igIhat end of the cylindrical body 34 of the cam sleeve remote from theend Wall 36 is formed open, and receives the convergent inner endportions I8 of the housing arms. Accordingly, whenever the cam sleeve I2is shifted in the direction of the spool I4, it will cam the fork armsof the spool housing inwardly toward one another, to increase the degreeof frictional engagement of the nodes 22 with the spool ends. Thiscontrols the freedom of rotation of the spool Within the housing.

Movement of the cam sleeve in an opposite direction will, of course,decrease the degree of frictionai engagement, permitting the spool torotate more freely Within the housing.

It will be appreciated that ne adjustments can be made, by movement ofthe cam sleeve I2 longitudinally of the housing. As a result, when thebobbin is used in the manner shown in Figure l, the bobbin will besuspended from the fly, said fly being designated generally at 42. Theweight of the bobbin, acting in cooperation with the adjusted rotatablemounting of the spool, permits the user to tension the thread 28 to adesired extent, while winding the thread upon the fly. Furtheradjustments can be made as desired, so as to cause the weight of thebobbin to assume a particular ratio to the freedom of rotation of thespool, thereby to tension the thread to any extent desired.

Referring to the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 4 and 5,in this form the housing has been designated generally at 44, and issubstantially identical to the housing I of the first form. However, thehousing 44 has a different type of connection to the cam sleeve 46.

The housing 44 is formed with a bight 48, in which the tubular member 32is engaged, the tubular member being connected to the bight in the samemanner as shown in Figure 2.

Integral with the bight are the inner end portions 50 of the housingarms, said inner end portions converging in the direction of the bight,and being integral at their outer ends with outwardly offset outer endportions 52 having nodes 54 engaging the ends of the spool body 2B.

The cam sleeve 48 has a cylindrical body 58, said body being formed withthreads for its full length, which threads are engageable with threadsegments formed in the inner end portions 50. As a result, rotation ofthe cylindrical body 55 of the cam sleeve is effected to adjust the camsleeve longitudinally of the housing, thus to adjust the tension withwhich the spool ends are gripped by the nodes 54.

The sleeve body 56 is integral, at one end, with a tapered end wall 58having a center opening 88 through which the tubular member 32 eX-tends, the tapered end wah 58 receiving a cork insert 62 in which thetubular member is slidably engaged.

I believe that Within the scope of the appended claims, other variationsin construction might well be made, and for example, I might desire toflare the inner end of the tubular member 32 to prevent binding of thethread 28 against the end of the tube during rotation of the spool I4.Further, the tube might be threadedly engaged in the opening providedtherefor in the bight of the housing. This change, I believe, issufficiently obvious as not to require special illustration herein.Still further, I believe that the cork insert might be omitted incommercial embodiments of the invention, without affecting adversely theoperation of the device. In each instance, of course, the principle ofoperation will be the same.

It is believed clear that the invention is not necessarily confined tothe specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrativeof the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carryout said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehendsany minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scopeof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A fly tiers bobbin comprising: a relatively elongated, U-shaped spoolhousing having springable fork arms converging toward and integrallyconnected at one end by a bight, said .arms being adapted at their otherends to engage frictionally between them the opposite ends of a spool ofthread, to support the spool for rotation in the housing; a thread tubeextending through said bight and through which said thread isextendible; and cam means circumposed about the tube and shiftablelongitudinally of the housing along the convergent arms to draw the armsagainst the ends of the spool, thereby to effect adjust ments as to thedegree of frictional engagement of the arms with the spool, forcontrolling the freedom of rotation of the spool.

2. A ily tiers bobbin comprising: a relatively elongated, U-shaped spoolhousing having springable fork arms converging toward and integrallyconnected at one end by a bight, said arms being adapted at their otherends to engage frictionally between them the opposite ends of a spool ofthread, to support the spool for rotation in the housing; a thread tubeextending through said bight and through which said thread isextendible; and a cam sleeve circumposed about and slidable along thetube, said sleeve being shiftable longitudinally of the housing inengagement with the convergent arms to draw the arms against the ends ofthe spool, thereby to effect adjustments as to the degree of frictionalengagement of the arms with the spool, for controlling the freedom ofrotation of the spool.

3. A fly tiers bobbin comprising: a relatively elongated, U-shaped spoolhousing having springable fork arms converging toward and integrallyconnected at one end by a bight, said arms being adapted at their otherends to frictionally engage between them the opposite ends of a spool ofthread, to support the spool for rotation in the housing; a thread tubeextending through said bight and through which said thread isextendible; and a cam sleeve circumposed about the tube, said sleevehaving an end Wall at one end formed With a center opening in which thetube is slidably engaged, said sleeve being guided by the engaged tubelongitudinally of the housing and having its other end in cammingengagement with the convergent arms to draw the arms against the ends ofthe spool; thereby to eiect adjustments as to the degree of frictionalengagement of the arms with the spool ends, for controlling the freedomof rotation of the spool.

RIDGWAY P. MORGESTER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

